This is an older article from Cruising World, but it is just as valid today. When the various boat checklists you may come across ask you to check the rigging, this is what you are looking for. What was enlightening to me, when I first read it, is that covering stainless steel with rigging tape, as you often see done on shroud turnbuckles and lifeline connections, is actually not a good idea. Read the article and see why.

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